Telemundo Deportes and Panini America celebrate the countdown to the 2018 FIFA World Cup RussiaTM by kicking off a partnership that brings to fans Telemundo’s first-ever augmented reality (AR) experience for all things World Cup. The collaboration launched with the new 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ Sticker Collection by Panini available in stores and online now, the AR content will live in the Telemundo Deportes En Vivo app, featuring new posts on a weekly basis for fans to enjoy.

“We are excited to partner with Panini and together offer fans innovative, engaging and sharable World Cup content leading up to and throughout our historic broadcast of the much anticipated tournament,” said Joaquin Duro, vice president, digital, Telemundo Deportes. “Introducing Telemundo’s first-ever augmented reality offering reinforces our commitment to continue enhancing the World Cup experience for our audience.”

Fans can access all of Telemundo Deportes’ exclusive Panini content in the AR menu within the Telemundo Deportes En Vivo app. The AR experience is activated via Facebook’s Camera Effects Platform, which also allows users to engage with the AR content and create sharable, filter-type content, such as their very own Panini sticker available exclusively through the Telemundo Deportes and Panini collaboration.

The AR experience will include 10-second videos highlighting Telemundo Deportes talent, historic moments and most memorable goals in World Cup history as well as features on this year’s host cities and stadiums. The content will be available now and through the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™. The Telemundo Deportes’ Panini AR experience, created in collaboration with VR Americas, is a finalist for “Best Campaign” at the 9th Annual Augmented World Expo 2018 Auggie Awards.

“We are excited to launch this partnership with Telemundo in advance of the FIFA World Cup. The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ Sticker Collection continues our storied history with the Tournament and the enthusiasm that soccer fans have for our collection around the world is like no other,” said Jason Howarth, Vice President of Marketing of Panini America. “The ability to be a part of Telemundo’s first Augmented Reality experience and bring our Collection to life in a format that engages fans on another level and consume the content in a way that hasn’t been done before is truly special.”

In addition to the AR content, this 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ Sticker Collection by Panini features a page dedicated to the Telemundo Deportes commentary team. The partnership also includes traditional and digital advertisements, marketing and grassroots initiatives as well as Panini integrations on Telemundo platforms in advance of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™.

In addition to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ Sticker Collection, Panini for the first time has launched a FIFA World Cup digital trading app that includes exclusive digital content of all of this year’s players.